Natalie Butler much more than a basketball player

[Blair]

The Sweet Thing Natalie Butler Did

 

[Geew1992]

And this is why she's a Husky. These are the type of kids Geno recruits. My daughter and I have had a couple of great experiences and concerns with Lorin Dixon.

 

[Husky pride]

If this doesn't make you rightfully proud of the Uconn Women's program.........

 

[JavaMan]

Terrific! Kudos to Nat. However, I can't say I'm surprised. My observations of Natalie are that she is doggedly persistent, yet patiently kind; focused on achieving, yet willing to share. I think she'll become an in-demand and totally successful woman when she eventually decides to walk off the court and hit the bricks in life.

​

 

[BobbyJ]

She never stops working. Class and dignity personified.

 

[UcMiami]

I know we all love our UConn women and see the world through blue tinted glasses, and I love this story. I just want to say that this is the norm and not the exception with WCBB players, with WNBA players, and with women athletes in general. It is one advantage to following a sport where the crush of fans has not overwhelmed the humanity of the participants and their appreciation of the support.

And I don't blame the men for having put up barriers. With the money and notoriety they are both overwhelmed and have become targets - they majority of them still do good deeds and work in their spare time, but generally in quieter settings where they feel safer. It doesn't usually make the news splash that goes to the bad apples and bad actors, but it is happening all the time.

NB - I suspect the women's money sports of Tennis and Golf where the money and exposure has created too great a crush and too high a demand on time and too much of a target have followed the men's sports in creating similar barriers.

 

[1-of-the-6]

To have an eight-year old daughter who's a basketball junkie, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

 

[UconnMark]

Has she got an offer from Coach Jeff Walz yet?

 

[winlots]

The Sweet Thing Natalie Butler Did

BLAIR: thank you for passing that tale along. Am a very sentimental curmudgeon (some say a "kindly" one....just for the alliteration, I suppose), and your news brought a couple of catches in my throat and some sniffles as I read it to my wife.
Sinus issue probably.

 

[Suebird10fan]

To have an eight-year old daughter who's a basketball junkie, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

Still waiting for my 9 ye old daughter to become a basketball junkie. Not looking good.

At least I got her to go to a game this year and actually focus on the proceedings. First Tulane game where KLS put on a show. I asked her who her favorite player was and she said "that blonde girl with a bun."

 

[Scud49]

That's wonderful, I love it, thanks very much for sharing.

 

[Trappa]

I love these types of stories -- and that they seem to happen so often in women's basketball. They mean the world to a kid. I had a similar experience with Kara Wolters when I was young, and I grew up to be a fan for life.

 

[tomcat]

Just wonderful.